LISA SMITH Courier Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 12:00 am
AMES
Students and university departments will suffer from the elimination of state funding for work study, University of Northern Iowa officials said.
The Legislature's decision to cut the $2.75 million appropriation for work study will have a "significant negative impact," said UNI President Robert Koob to the Board of Regents Tuesday at Iowa State University.
"A number of departments will be disproportionally impacted," Koob said.
During the 1999-2000 school year, more than 1,800 students at Regent universities earned $2.4 million through work study, according to the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. The average award was $1,027 at Regent universities.
Work study is funded by federal, state and university funds at UNI, said Brian Will, assistant director of financial aid. The university is required to pay 20 percent of the recipient's salary.
UNI would have received $245,000 from the state for work study for the 2001-2002 school year, Will said.
"That's going to reduce the number of students who had access to employment on campus," he said.
More than 4,000 UNI students requested work study last year. Will found funding for about 900 of them. Without state work study funds, that number may be closer to 700 this fall.
"It's getting tighter in a program that's already tight," Will said.
Departments may now have to pay for student workers out of their own budget. The biggest on-campus employers include the dining centers, library and physical plant, though Will said all departments will feel the impact of the funding loss.
"Offices need to find ways to get their services done with less money," he said.
Work study is an important part of student life, Will added.
"It's more than just a paycheck," he said. "The students gain employment experience, build a resume and make good connections with faculty and staff."
Will said work study students have a better retention rate than other students and learn valuable time management skills.
Iowa work study funds were available at many private and community college across the state. This year, about 4,300 students statewide would have received a share of the work study dollars.